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INNOVATIVE PRESCHOOL INITIATIVE MIAMI — Miami-Dade children will not have to wait until kindergarten to start their journey into education. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is launching an innovative initiative to ensure preschoolers receive comprehensive education. M-DCPS will host the Voyage to the Future event to kick off the Ready Children, Families and Schools program on Saturday, May 7 from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, James L. Knight Center. The hotel is located at 400 S.E. Second Ave. More than 1,500 childcare providers were invited to join M-DCPS Superintendent Rudolph F. “Rudy” Crew, Early Childhood Initiative Foundation President David Lawrence, M-DCPS administrators and various South Florida childcare agency representatives to identify ways that services provided through agencies and programs can be aligned with district instruction. Ready Children, Families and Schools will help ensure that children entering kindergarten develop a solid foundation in literacy, obtain emotional, physical and mental health support and acquire behavior patterns that are essential for success in school. The program is designed to raise academic achievement and close the gap for the youngest learners. The school system currently serves 7,300 children from birth through Pre-Kindergarten in 444 classrooms, with an additional 66 classrooms for 1,200 students planned to be added next year. Another 1,500 childcare providers outside M-DCPS serve thousands of children. Close to 35,000 children are eligible for voluntary Pre-Kindergarten in Miami-Dade County. Recently enacted state legislation on voluntary pre-kindergarten education mandates child performance and curricula standards, and emergent literacy courses for instructors. Ready Children, Families and Schools takes that a step further by joining forces with the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe, local colleges and universities, and service-providing agencies and offering children ages three and four regional primary learning centers and Parent Academies throughout the community to foster effective teaching and learning. # # # 05-LJG/161/DF |
